Frank Devai graduated the IT – Network Administration program at MTI College in October 2016. Frank moved from Los Angeles to Sacramento with his family when he was just two months old. His dad needed a job, so they relocated, and Frank has lived there ever since. As a young adult, Frank began his educational experience at Sierra College, but he had little direction and much distraction. Around this time, Frank and his wife happily welcomed their first daughter. It was then that he decided he needed to start working to provide for his family. Putting his education on hold, Frank decided to start picking up odd jobs here and there. “I had every odd job under the sun – delivery driver, fabricator, construction worker. When you have a little one and not much education, you do what you have to do.” He was also able to pick up smaller, non-enterprise IT jobs. He would work for several months in small companies as needed, being the sole IT guy on site. He experienced IT work in a small manufacturing company and mom-and-pop shops. These smaller jobs were good experience but did not allow for IT to be Frank’s main focus. However, as Frank gratefully stated, “MTI College afforded me the opportunity to change that dynamic.”
MTI College allowed Frank to truly revisit his career options moving forward. When asked about his overall experience, without hesitation, he replied, “Incredibly positive.” He further explained how valuable his fellow classmates were to him. He made friends with many different people. In particular, he became part a group of about eight or nine people who continued to have the same classes together, building that bond even more. “Those guys are my friends for the rest of my life. The connections that I made, the people who became my friends, I feel like I’ll have forever.” Another vital aspect for Frank was his instructors. “The professors in the technical program are some of the best teachers I’ve ever had,” he explained. He referenced two professors in particular who would work all day and then come straight to MTI to teach class. “Whether it was a good or a bad day, they would always be honest about their experience so we could be prepared for the real world. They held us accountable. I credit them a lot for shaping how I work today. I had really positive interactions with faculty there.” More specifically, Frank had a speech class that was also utilized to help students with interviewing. Essentially, every class was set up as if students were interviewing for a job. Frank expressed how this course made a significant positive impact on how he began moving forward once he graduated, saying that it gave him self-confidence and the ability to present himself in the best light. Other classes he enjoyed were his CISCO, security and server courses. Frank laid it out like this: “From year 1 to year 2 is like going from JV to varsity. The speed and amount of information we were expected to absorb was a dramatic difference. At first it was overwhelming, but it trained me to roll with the punches and work as hard as I could. If other people are able to do it, I’m able to do it.”
Today, Frank works as a tier 1 technician for a construction company. He has only been there for about four months now, but his role has already evolved. He has been trained to be the enterprise license manager as well as the head of the PC Replacement team, which consists of five people who report directly to him. This goes to show how hardworking Frank is and how well-prepared he was for a full-time role in IT. On a daily basis, he works with robust construction software. If machines are broken or outdated, it is up to him to determine what is required for each machine, working on the technical side to get the appropriate information. Also, his team approaches him with various technical problems, which as a manager he is there to help resolve. In regard to the licensing aspect of his position, Frank is responsible for ensuring the company’s software remains fully licensed, negotiating licensing contracts, and making sure all software remains current.
What lies ahead for Frank? According to him, he will continue to strive at being the finest mediator between his eight-year-old and four-year-old daughters, as best he can. Besides these heroic fatherly duties, however, he will also continue learning everything he can about the field he is in. “I have a passion for technology, and I want to increase my knowledge and build off of the tools that MTI gave me. I want to make a difference wherever I end up.” Not only does Frank have a great sense of humor, he also has a good heart and an incredible work ethic. He wants to “essentially help others work through the same problems I had. I just like to do a good job, be technically competent and see how high the ceiling goes.” When asked to share some advice for students so they too can become as successful as him, Frank quickly replied, “Show up to get a parking spot. The parking lot fills up really fast.” After sharing yet another laugh, Frank ended on a more serious note. He explained his experience in a way that everyone could relate to. Throughout his time at MTI, he realized that no matter how overwhelmed he was feeling, even if other people were not openly expressing it, they felt the same way. “If you’re struggling, ask around, share what you’re going through. You might be surprised other people are too.” He encourages all students to communicate with each other, express what they are struggling with. Once he started doing that, other people would share similar sentiments, or another person would find that particular topic a strong suit of theirs and would offer some help. At the end of the day, going to MTI College was one of the best things Frank could have done. As he expressed, “Going to MTI changed my life. I did not have many prospects going forward as far as a career, aside from odds-and-ends jobs. MTI gave me the opportunity to change.”
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